A/HRC/4/38 page 7 Turkey 17. Pursuant to his working visits to Turkey in 2005, the Representative undertook a working visit to Ankara in February 2006, where he participated in the event which launched the project “Support to the development of an IDP programme in Turkey” organized jointly by the United Nations Development Programme and the Minister of the Interior. 18. The Representative returned to Turkey in September 2006, in order to participate in the launch, held in the city of Van, of the Plan of Action on Measures taken with regard to Internally Displaced Persons in Eastern and South-Eastern Anatolia, which sets out strategies to improve the living conditions of displaced persons in Van province and to facilitate their reintegration into society, reflecting some of the Representative’s earlier recommendations. The Representative welcomed the Governor’s Office efforts to ensure wide-ranging and meaningful consultations with stakeholders during the development of the Plan, including with displaced communities themselves, and encouraged it to proceed with the implementation of the Plan, starting with a focus on priority areas and continuing close cooperation with civil society. He recommended that the Turkish Government assist the Governor of Van and support similar developments in other parts of Turkey. 19. Finally, on 6 December 2006, following an invitation by the Government of Turkey, the Representative addressed the public event launching the Migration and Internally Displaced Population Survey in Ankara. This survey had been undertaken by the Haceteppe University Institute of Population Studies at the request of the Government in order to identify the magnitude of displacement, to assess the situation of both those who have returned and those who are still displaced, and to learn about their own preferences for the future. It concluded that the number of those who left the 14 provinces of South-Eastern Anatolia for security-related reasons between 1986 and 2005 may be between 953,680 and 1,201,200 persons, of whom an estimated 10.9-12.1 per cent have since returned. The Representative welcomes this study as an excellent basis for planning adequate responses to the challenges of finding durable solutions for these internally displaced persons. 20. In a letter addressed to the Minister of the Interior in late December 2006, the Representative highlighted the need to extend the deadline for claims made under a 2004 law providing IDPs with compensation for damages suffered in the course of displacement. While the deadline to submit claims expires in early 2007, the Haceteppe University survey indicated that as few as one fifth of all eligible IDPs may have applied to date. 21. The Representative welcomes the important steps to address the internal displacement situation in the country taken by Turkish authorities since the adoption in 2005 of an Integrated Strategy Document addressing the challenges of finding durable solutions for IDPs. He is encouraged by the positive attitude shown by the relevant authorities and urges them to implement without delay concrete projects for the benefit of displaced persons and returnees, including the application of Turkey’s Compensation law in a full, equitable and consistent manner, in cooperation with international agencies and donors.